The difference is that it sounds like a P bass. If you listen to any song, by any group, since electric bass was invented, about 70% of the time, you'd be hearing a split pickup. Unlike a traditional humbucker in the neck (like on a gibson) or an enlarged one near the bridge (like on a musicman) a split coil pickup in the direct middle of the playing area gives you increased low end, slightly decreased high end, and a very extensive mid range. The positioning also captures a very certain harmonic range.
Traditional humbuckers give off a very honky midrange and kill the highs. They also decrease output.
Single coils lack mid range and low end, and therefore sound very thin. They have increased output, but also have a very shrill high end.
After building the Precision bass, Leo Fender decided that splitting the coil that he had in the bass gave it more of a "bass" tone. It then became the norm, the foundation, and the world renowned standard for electric bass. Yes, there are many different styles and setups now, but the fact still stands true that "a split coil in the sweet spot is an electric fretted bass guitar." The Precision bass. It is still the industry standard.
In a dogmatic sense, what you say is correct.........but, here comes "the but".
Generally speaking, traditional humbuckers have increased output, are not honky or mid range dominant, generally have a fuller and richer sound with some rolled off high end. (My son plays guitar and one time when I was with him, he was playing a Gibson Les Paul with the 2 PAF humbuckers. My son was playing clean. It sounded equally similar to a Fender with single coils.)
I have a real deal 1953 P Bass with the little single coil pickup and it shows 5.6 K ohm on the voltmeter. Although the output is less than the split coil P pickup, the single coil is anything but it is NOT thin in sound, nor does it lack low end and it is not shrill on the high end. It probably helps that it has AlNiCo 2 magnets which were used back then.
The single coil P Bass pickup is VERY RESPECTABLE in producing bass sound and tone. And, it has better definition compared to the split coil. The SCPB is an EXCELLENT sounding bass!
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Now, I do not really know about this but it is my guess. So, what I'm gonna say might be completely wrong. Why did Leo make the split coil P pickup? Why did he design it like he did?
Well, back in 1956 Seth Lover of Gibson made the PAF humbucker pickup. Now, if Fender would have made a humbucker similar to it for the P Bass, it would have been a patent infringement. So, Leo coped the humbucking idea with the 2 single coil P pickups with reverse winding and reversed polarity but steered clear of the Gibson PAF design.
This is my theory. It's just a theory. I'd love to be corrected if I am wrong. So, all you Talk Bass Fender experts, chime in please.
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